The silence after the Warlord's death didn't last long.
Kael wiped the blood from Kureha's edge, every muscle in his body straining just to stay upright. Darius leaned on his halberd like it was the only thing keeping him conscious. Reya crouched nearby, binding her shoulder with shaky hands.
> [Global Ogre Kill Total: 878 / 1,000]
Time Remaining: 11:02:41
Status: Warlord Eliminated – Quest Progress Continuing
They should've had time to breathe.
But Kael felt it first—an itch at the back of his skull, like danger wearing a grin. He turned, slowly, toward the southern breach in the arena wall.
A dozen figures emerged from the haze of ash and fire.
Uniformed. Organized. Confident.
And not friendly.
Their HUD tags blinked crimson.
> [PVP ACTIVE ZONE – SYSTEM INTERFERENCE MINIMAL]
[New Entities Detected – Affiliation: Viper Guild]
Kael's grip tightened.
At their head stood a tall, pale man in charcoal-gray armor lined with snake motifs. A pair of hooked blades hung lazily at his sides, and his smile was the kind that didn't reach his eyes.
His HUD flared.
> Player: Thorne Krell
Class: Serpentblade
Guild: Viper
World Rank: #6,204
Title: Vice Captain
"Well," Thorne said with a casual grin, "looks like we missed the main event."
Kael didn't move. "Keep moving. You're late."
Thorne chuckled. "True. But timing is everything, Ronin. You do the work, we collect the spoils. That's how this usually goes."
Darius coughed, half-standing. "You want the loot? Come take it."
Thorne stepped closer, his eyes flicking from Reya's bandaged arm to Darius's cracked armor to the sweat on Kael's brow.
"Injured. Spent. Barely on your feet. Look, I don't need to kill you. Just hand over the Warlord's drops and we all walk away without any new holes."
Kael didn't respond. He glanced at Reya and Darius—both looked ready to fight, but they were exhausted. They'd die in a straight-up brawl.
And Thorne knew it.
"Five seconds," Thorne said. "Then we stop asking."
Reya's voice broke the tension. "We're not giving it to you, Krell."
"Oh?" Thorne tilted his head. "Still thinking like a hero?"
"No," Reya said. "Thinking like someone who's seen what the Viper Guild really is."
Thorne smirked. "Then go on. Educate your friends."
Kael looked to her. "Explain. Fast."
Reya's voice was low, sharp with urgency. "Viper Guild's not just a scavenger group. They started by stealing gear from low-level players. Then they started killing them. They ambush wounded survivors, clean the bodies, and disappear."
She glared at Thorne. "They call it resource cycling. I call it murder."
Thorne made a mock bow. "Guilty of efficiency."
"Why isn't the system stopping you?" Kael asked.
Thorne spread his hands. "The system only cares about progress. Kill count. Efficiency. Morality's not coded in."
Kael's eye flicked to the arena's side exits. They were boxed in—partially.
But not completely.
"On my mark," he murmured to the others. "We run."
Thorne sighed. "Last chance. That Core and whatever hidden loot you got from that beast—you give it up, or you bleed for it."
Kael's voice was cold. "Then we'll bleed together."
He slammed a smoke canister to the ground.
> [Item Used – Ashfield Tactical Fog]
Effect: Obscures vision for 7 seconds within a 30m radius
Smoke exploded outward.
"MOVE!" Kael barked.
Reya grabbed Darius, and the three bolted toward the northern tunnel—the only opening not flanked.
Thorne cursed. "Stop them—nonlethal if possible! That loot is ours!"
Arrows zipped through the fog—one scraped Kael's shoulder, another embedded in Darius's armor. A third clipped Reya's leg, but she didn't slow.
They dashed through crumbling corridors, twisted stone, and shattered system platforms. Footsteps echoed behind them—Viper hunters in pursuit.
> [Warning – Pursuit Detected]
[System Assistance Disabled – Manual Navigation Required]
"Left!" Reya shouted, veering toward a collapsed balcony. "Jump!"
Kael leapt without hesitation.
They fell into a secondary arena trench, rolled hard, and scrambled for cover behind a ruined admin kiosk.
Kael checked their status.
> [Wounds: Moderate – Bleeding (Reya), Bruised Ribs (Darius), Light Cut (Kael)]
[Stamina: 24%]
[Recovery Item Use: Restricted During Combat Proximity]
"They're still chasing us," Darius muttered. "Three… maybe four?"
"More will follow," Kael said. "We have to lose them in the eastern barracks. Narrow halls—less chance of them flanking."
Reya tightened her grip on her backup spear. "If we get cornered—"
"We don't," Kael cut her off. "We move."
They slipped into the ruins again, limping, breath sharp, blood trailing behind them.
---
Fifteen minutes later, they finally lost their pursuers.
Thorne's voice still echoed in Kael's mind.
"You do the work, we take the loot."
Kael exhaled, leaning against a wall.
"They won't stop," Reya said softly. "Thorne's a vice captain now. And Viper Guild's not small anymore. They want to climb. Fast."
Kael looked toward the sky. The red hue still lingered from the system's enforced trial.
"Then next time, we fight on our terms," he said. "And we don't run."
---
> [Global Ogre Kill Total: 901 / 1,000]
Time Remaining: 10:43:28
Quest Status: Final Phase Approaching
---
📊 Kael Draven – Status (End of Chapter 16)
> Level: 10
Class: Ronin (Unique)
Wounds: Light
Mental Clarity: 9
Ash Memory: 10%
Reputation: 4
CP: 177
EXP: 90 / 1400
World Rank: #8,701
Status: Escaped from Viper Guild ambush
---
New Threat Introduced:
Guild: Viper Guild
Vice Captain: Thorne Krell
World Rank: #6,204
Class: Serpentblade
Tactics: Ambush, loot theft, assassination squads
Warning: They will return
---
Team:
Reya Vance – Spear Valkyrie (Injured)
Darius Vale – Juggernaut (Recovering)
---
Status:
They survived the Warlord.
But now they're hunted.
And the Trial isn't over yet.